How to Pray

Is there a right way to pray? Could there be a wrong way to pray, doing more harm than good?

Just as there are different types of prayers, there are also different styles.  There is no single way to pray, there are many ways.  What’s more, there are no strict rules which need to be followed, as some suggest.  Biblical guidelines, yes.  Specific methods for specific types and styles, yes.  But there is no divine prayer “moderator” deciding whether your prayer is worthy of being posted on God’s “message board.”

There are really only two major mistakes to avoid when it comes to praying.

The biggest mistake you can make is to not pray at all.  Whatever your reasons may be—don’t have the words to say, too much sin in your life, don’t feel worthy, afraid of not doing it right—understand that those are lies from Satan. 

The second mistake is to merely repeat the words of a prayer without thought or feeling.  That’s not really praying, so it’s essentially the same as the first mistake: not praying at all.

So we should pray, whether we think we have the words or not, whether we think we’re worthy or not, whether we think we’re doing it correctly or not.  Just reach out to God; He’ll take your hand.